Canon PowerShot G1X

Canon is introducing a very interesting new compact camera; the PowerShot G1X. Interchangeable lenses are often associated with image quality, even though there is no obvious direct link between the two. That is why some camera manufacturers have introduced cameras with interchangeable lenses, but also with relatively small sensors. The most peculiar example is no doubt the Pentax Q, a very small CSC (Compact System Camera) with a sensor no bigger than the ones found in many compact cameras. As can be expected, the image quality is also comparable with such cameras, so the question remains what this camera does that a good superzoom compact camera doesn’t do as well (and a lot cheaper). Interchangeable lenses are a hype, so maybe that explains it.

Canon is going exactly the other way with the introduction of the Powershot G1X. The popularity of long zoom lenses such as a 18-300mm proves that many people do not really want to change lenses, they just want the image quality only a larger sensor can provide. That is why Canon is using a 1.5 inch 14.3 Mpixel sensor in the PowerShot G1X, and equipped it with a fixed 4x zoom (28-112mm equivalent). Of course we need to wait for test results to see how good the G1X images really are, but I think Canon may have a real winner with this new camera!